Municipal Election

• May 1, 2026: First day candidates can file nomination papers and first day third party advertisers can register.
• June 1, 2026: Deadline to update school support designation with MPAC.
• August 21, 2026: Nomination Day. Last day candidates can file nomination papers, by 2:00 p.m.
• August 24, 2026: Deadline for Clerk to certify nominations.
• August 27, 2026: Deadline for Clerk to declare any candidates elected by acclamation.
• September 1 to October 26, 2026: Revisions to Voters' List can be made by contacting the Township Office. Any revisions prior to September 1, can be made through the Elections Ontario website.
• October 23, 2026: Last day third party advertisers can register.
• October 26, 2026: Election Day.
• October 27, 2026: Official Election results declared.
• November 15, 2026: New term of Council commences.
• November 17, 2026: Howick's Inaugural Council Meeting for the 2026-2030 term.

Key dates will be updated throughout the election cycle as advanced polling dates and help hours are set.

Updates during the 2026 Municipal Election cycle will be shared by the Township through our website, social media platforms and newsletters.

You are eligible to vote in the 2026 Municipal Election if you are:

• A Canadian Citizen;
• At least 18 years of age;
• A resident of the Township of Howick or the owner or tenant of land in the Township or the spouse of such owner or tenant; and
• Not prohibited from voting under any law.

Your name must also be on the Voters' List in order to cast a ballot.

Elections Ontario is responsible for maintaining the Permanent Register of Electors for Ontario, commonly known as the Register or Voters' List. The Voters' List is a list of individuals that are eligible to vote in provincial and local municipal elections in Ontario. 

Don't assume! Make sure you are on the 2026 Voter's List.  It is important that all residents check to see if you are on the 2026 Municipal Election Voter's List now and not assume that you are on the list. 

Are you registered to Vote? Register Now!

About Elections Ontario’s Portal
You can now use Elections Ontario’s Voter Registration portal to: 

• Confirm your voter information
• Update your name or address
• Add yourself if you’re missing
• Remove outdated information
• Register property‑based eligibility (important in cottage country municipalities)

In order to become a candidate you must file a Nomination Paper with the Municipal Clerk. Nomination can only be filed during the nomination period.

• Nominations for the 2026 Municipal Election opens on Friday, May 1, 2026. Nomination paperwork must be filed with the Clerk by 2:00 p.m. on Friday, August 21, 2026.
• Candidates are required to make an appointment to file their nomination forms, as well as pay a fee of $100 ($200 for head of council) and obtain 25 endorsement signatures when submitting a nomination.
• Eligible candidates for municipal elections must be:
  • A Canadian citizen who is at least 18 years old.
  • A resident of the municipality, a non-resident owner or tenant of land in the municipality, or the spouse of such non-resident owner or tenant.
  • Not legally prohibited from voting and not disqualified by any legislation from holding municipal office. 

Township of Howick Council Composition 
Municipal Council is made up of 1 elected Reeve, 1 elected Deputy Reeve and 3 elected Councillors.

The Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, the Municipality of Bluewater, the Municipality of Central Huron, the Town of Goderich, the Township of Howick, the Municipality of Huron East, the Municipality of Morris-Turnberry, the Township of North Huron and the Municipality of South Huron are jointly hosting Election Candidate Information Sessions for residents who are considering running for municipal office. 

Stay tuned for more information on the Candidate Information Sessions for Huron County.

What is Third Party Advertising?

Third party advertising refers to advertisements or other materials that support, promote or oppose a candidate, or support, promote or oppose a “yes or “no” answer to a question on the ballot.

Third party advertising is separate from any candidate's campaign, and must be done independently from a candidate. Any advertisements or materials that are made and distributed by a candidate, or under a candidate's direction, are part of the candidate's campaign.

Third party advertising is a way for those outside of the candidate's campaign to express support or opposition to candidates and to try to persuade voters to vote a certain way.

A third party advertisement is an advertisement in any broadcast, print, electronic or other medium that promotes, supports or opposes a candidate, or a “yes' or “no” answer to a question on the ballot. Advertisements include traditional ads as well as materials such as brochures or signs.

What is not a third party advertisement?

Activities that do not involve spending money, such as discussions or expressing an opinion about a candidate are not considered to be third party advertising. Examples include:

• Speaking to friends and neighbours
• Posting on social media, such as twitter, facebook or Instagram
• Sending an email to a group or mailing list. 

Who can be a third party advertiser?

Only those who have registered can spend money on third party advertising. The following are eligible to register as a third party advertiser:

• any person who is a resident in Ontario
• a corporation carrying on business in Ontario
• a trade union that holds bargaining rights for employee in Ontario 

Who cannot be a third party advertiser?

A candidate running for any municipal council or school board office cannot registered to be a third party advertiser in any municipality.

Groups, associations or businesses that are not corporations are not eligible to register and may not spend money on third party advertising in municipal elections. For example, neighbourhood associations, clubs or professional associations cannot register and cannot make contributions to third party advertisers. Members may register as individual third party advertisers and may contribute individually.

Registration

An individual, corporation or trade union must be registered with the Municipal Clerk to be a third party advertiser in a municipality by completing a Notice of Registration – Third Party – Form 7. Being registered in a municipality allows the third party to advertise to the voters in that municipality. A third party advertiser can support or oppose any candidate or candidates who will be voted on by the people in that municipality. This includes candidates running for local council, school trustee and candidates running for offices on an upper tier council.

Additional information will be provided when it is available.

As of January 1, 2024, the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) is no longer responsible for collecting voter information for municipal elections. However, MPAC is required to collect school support information. 

Property owners in Ontario must designate support for a school system, even if they do not have children or if their children do not currently attend school. This designation appears on your Property Assessment Notice. 

You can update your school support designation through MPAC's Online School Support Tool. To learn more about school support, visit the MPAC website.